Dumping car.



No. 687,345. Patented Nov. 26, IBM. J. J. SOUDER.

DUMPING CAR. (Application filed Mar. 19, 1901,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

I W aflozwu 5 Patented Nov. 26, IQOI.

J. J. SOUDER.

DUMPING CAB.

(Application filed Mar. 19, 1901.: (No Model.) 3 Sheeis-Sheet 2.

19i rmooao No. 687,345. Patented Nov."26, l90l.

J. J. SDUDER.

DUMPING GAR {Application filed Mar. 19, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

ns ca, Pnomlmujwnsumm'on c c Tu: NORRS PET UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB J. SOUDER, OF WASHINGTON, "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DUMPlNG-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 687,345, datedNovember 26, 1901. Application filed March19,1901. Serial No. 51,919.(NomodelJ To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB J. SOUDER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dumping-Cars, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention has to deal with that class of dumping railway-cars inwhich the discharge is downward through the bottom of the car, which forthis purpose is provided with discharge-openings closed by hingeddrop-doors.

My improvements relate in the main to the means for opening and closingthe drop-doors and for maintaining the same in closed position. Theseand other features of the invention will first be described inconnection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, and will then be more particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a hopperrailway-car embodying my improvements in their preferred form, showingthe drop-doors in closed position. I have omitted from this figure thegreater portion of the hood which covers the longitudinal winding-shaft,as well as the hood which covers the transverse actuating-shaft for saidwinding-shaft, and also the locking-dog for the longitudinalwinding-shaft. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the car, on enlargedscale, on line 2 2, Fig. 1, with the drop-doors in closed position. Fig.3 is a like section on line 3 3, Fig. 1, with the drop-doors in openposition. Fig. 4is an enlarged plan view of the locking device for thelongitudinal winding-shaft. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of thelocking device for the transverse actuatingshaft. Fig. 6 is a sectionalelevation of a structural detail relating to the longitudinalwinding-shaft,which will be hereinafter more particularly referred to.

In the particular car shown in the drawings in illustrationof myinvention there are two series of longitudinal discharge-openings in thebottom of the car, one on each side of the longitudinal central sill A,provided with oppositely moving longitudinally hinged drop-doors O O,which extend lengthwise of the car and at the top are hinged, the innerones, 0, to the centralsill A and the outer ones, 0, to the side sillsB, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. I prefer to use onewinding-shaft D for all of the drop-doors, in which case this shaft islocated centrally and longitudinally of the car, as shown, and issupported in suitable bearings upon or attached to the centrallongitudinal sill A. In the arrangement shown the winding-shaft D islocated on top of the central sill and is there protected by a hoodconsisting of double inclined directing-plates Z p, resting upon thelongitudinal central sill and having at their outer and lower endsprojections which overhang the hinges of the inner drop-doors O, thehinges of the outer doors C being protected by outer guards or overhangso, fixed to the side walls of the car, all as described and illustratedin my application, Serial No. 27,9-.t8, filed August 24, 1900, andallowed November 21, 1900.

About midway of the length of the car the winding-shaft D has fixed toit a bevel-gear a, which engages a bevel-gear 1) upon the transverseactuating-shaft E. t This shaft is supported in suitable hearings in oron the bed-frame of the car and extends out beyond the side of the same,where it is provided with the usual squared end for the reception of awinch and is also provided with the exterior ratchet-and-lock-pawldevice 1 2 3. (Shown in Fig. 5.)

In cars of this character the bed-frame is usually constructed with alongitudinal camber or arch-like formation, and when the car is loadedthe effect of the weight of the load is to lessen the camber somewhat.In order to permit the longitudinal winding-shaft to adapt itself tothese Variations in the car, I do not make it in one continuous solidpiece, but I divide it into one or more sections which are so connectedthat while the shaft as a whole will revolve as one, yet the individualsections thereof may have movement relatively to one another in order tocompensate for the changes in the camber of the car. In the presentinstance the shaft D is provided transversely into two sections, theline of division being shown at 4, Fig. 6. The abutting ends of the twosections of the shaft are reduced in diameter and are squared, as shownat 5, Fig. 6, and upon these, ends is fitted the bevel-gear a, so thatwhen the gear is revolved it will revolve the two shaft-sections inunison. The abutting ends of the shaft-sections do not actually contactwith each other, but are at such slight distance apart, as shown in Fig.6, as will permit these ends to have relatively to each other the slightmovement necessary to permit them to accommodate themselves to thechanges inthe camber of the car.

1n the structure thus far described the ratchet-and-pawl device 1 2 3 ofthe transverse actuating device E sustains the whole weight of theclosed doors, as well as of the load which may be superimposed thereon,and this of course brings great strain upon the gearing between saidshaft and the longitudinal central winding-shaft D. To relieve thegearing of this strain, as well as to provide a positive lock for theshaft D independent of that with which the transverse actuated shaftE isprovided, I combine with the longitudinal central winding-shaft D alocking mechanism which acts directly upon that shaft and is controlledby operating means located upon the exterior of the car, preferably at apoint adjacent to that where the lock or detent device of the transverseactuating-shaft E is located. In the present instance one member of thislocking device for the shaft D consists of a star-wheel 0, Figs. 1, 2,4, and 6, which is fast upon shaft D. The other member consists of anotched or toothed dog 61, pivoted at d to a suitable portion of thebed-frame in a position to overhang the star-wheel c and to be loweredand lifted into and out of engagement with the same. For this purpose itis at its free end jointed at d to a link 6, which at its other end isjoined at e to the lower arm of an angle-lever f, supported in bearingsf, attached to the bed-frame and having its upper arm jointed atf to theinner end of the connecting-rod g, which extends out through a slot inthe side of the car and is pinned at g to the vertical operating-leverh, pivoted at h to the exterior of the car and retained at its freeupper end in locking position by a ring '5, held to the car by aneyebolt t" and adapted to slip over the upper end of theopcrating-lever. So long as this operating-lever is in the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 2 the dog is forced and held .down intoengagement with the star-wheel, and the winding-shaft D is positivelylocked independently of the transverse actuating-shaft E. To unlock theshaft D, all that is needed is to disengage the ring-t from the upperend of the operating-lever h and then, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 3, to pull this lever outwardly far enough to cause the angle-leverf to lift the dog out of engagement With the star-wheel.

I'prefer that the chains by which the dropdoors 0 O are connected to thewinding-shaft D should be located upon the exterior of the car. Aconvenient arrangement for this purpose is shown in the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2

and 3, in these figures the chains are represented by broken lines at F.The chains are attached at their outer ends to the exterior of the outerdoors 0. They thence extend over exterior forked guides k at the loweredge of the doors 0, over guide-sheaves on the lower ends of the innerdoors 0, and thence to the winding-shaft, to which they are made fast.Under this arrangement it will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that thechain extends around and beneath the hopper-bottoms formed by the doorswhen closed and constitute, as it were cradles in which these closeddoors are supported. The parts 70 It are simply guides for facilitatingthe operation of closing the drop-doors, there being one set of guides kk for each of the chains. I prefer to provide means by which the lengthof each chain may be adjusted as desired, and for this purpose I connecteach chainto an eyebolt m, supported in a bearing-iron n, fixed upon theexterior of its door 0, the said eyebolt being capable of adjustmentlengthwise in said bearing and held in its adjusted position by nuts m,as will be understood without further explanation. Under thisarrangement there will be unavoidably some little stretch of the chainswhen the doors are closed and the car is loaded, and to avoid anyescape'of material through the hopper-like bottom of the car from thiscause I provide one of the two doors 0 Oin this instance the outer doorOalong its inner lower edge with a projecting overhang convenientlyformed by an angle-iron 0 attached to said door, which overlaps for,say, some two inches, more or less, the joint between the meeting endsof the closed doors, as seen in Fig. 2, so that these ends may, underthe in fluence of the load, separate slightly without opening the bottomat that point to the escape of the material.

The transverse actuating-shaft E, as well as the locking mechanism forthe shaft D, are covered by a transverse hood H of triangular shape incross-section, which extends from side to side of the car, as seen inFig. 2, and serves not only to protect the parts named, but also tobrace the body of the car.

Having described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-car provided with discharge openings andlongitudinallyhinged dropdoors for closing said openings the combinationwith said doors, a longitudinal winding-shaft, and chains connectingsaid doors with said shaft, of a transverse actuatingshaft geared tosaid winding-shaft, a locking device for said transverseactuating-shaft, a separate and independent lock for the longitudinalwinding-shaft, and means operated from the exterior of the car forcontrolling the said last-mentioned lock, substantially as and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. In a dumping railway-car provided with discharge-openings and withlongitudinallyhinged drop-doors for closing said openings, thecombination with said drop-doors and theirlifting-chains, of alongitudinal sectional winding-shaft, and a driving-gear for said shaftmounted on the meeting ends of the two shaft-sections to drive them inunison and so connected to them as to permit them a slight verticalmovement at their meeting ends relatively to one another, substantiallyas and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. In a dumping-car provided with discharge-openings closed bycoincidentallyhinged oppositely-moving drop-doors, the combination withsaid doors, of a windingshaft, chains attached to the exterior of thedoors farthest removed from said windingshaft and extending thencebeneath the 0pposite doors to the winding-shaft, and means upon thedoors to which the chains are fastened, for adjusting the working lengthof said chains, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore setforth.

4. In a dumping-car provided with discharge-openings on each side of thecentral sill, closed by pairs of longitudinally-hinged drop-doors, thecombination with said dropdoors and with chains secured at their outerends to the exterior of the outer door of each pair and extending thencebeneath the inner door, of a longitudinal central winding-shaft to whichthe inner ends of said chains are secured, a transverse actuating-shaftand gear-

